Field of Research Methods

Results

Perspective

The two following schemes of the investigated models show the best results for the waste heat concept: To realize such waste heat concepts, an innovative high temperature heat exchanger, resistant to corrosion, is needed. The approach of research therefore is based on ceramic heat pipes:

The waste heat concept to increase the process efficiency within the XtL-process1 consists of a ceramic high temperature heat exchanger, an indirectly heated gas turbine and a heat recovery boiler.

The results of mass and energy balances show a potential of up to 9,6MW additional technical power with an integrated open gas turbine cycle which is indirectly heated. Besides, the defined models provide the total amount of steam needed to run the gasifier. Thereby the gasification fluid (steam) uses the waste heat of the gas turbine process within the gasification process.

Today, feedstock in organic chemistry is mainly made from petroleum. The production of base chemicals out of coal for mid-term and out of biomass for long-term regard can partly substitute the worldwide high consumption of petroleum resources. High temperature gasification processes as the Winkler-process[1] are appropriate for an efficient conversion of coal or biomass into a raw gas. Afterwards this is synthesized into base chemicals (e.g. olefins, methanol, dimethyl ether, ammoniac). Several syntheses processes (e.g. Fischer-Tropsch-, DME-, and Methanol-syntheses) run at a temperature level of 300 °C whereas the raw gas leaves the gasifier at over 900 °C. Therefore a new waste heat concept has been developed to use this energy and to optimize the overall process.

The simulation results show the high potential of the waste heat concept. For the implementation of this concept, a heat exchanger technology is needed, which is resistant to temperatures over 900 °C and to the highly corrosive atmosphere of the raw gas containing alkaline components especially by using biomass. High durability under these conditions can be performed by a heat pipe heat exchanger made of SiC, which has been recently built as a test rig at the TU Dresden. For this, geometrically simple ceramic heat pipes with regard to the manufacturing process have been developed. Sodium and zinc are adaptable as working fluids for the intended temperature range. After several tests of single heat pipes, they will be used to validate a mathematical model of the heat pipe heat exchanger performance.

High temperature ceramic heat exchanger for heat recovery in coal and biomass gasification processes

Nina Hack, Simon Unz, Michael Beckmann

Dresden University of Technology, Institute of Power Engineering

Chair of Combustion, Heat- and Mass Transfer

Table 1: simulation results for different models of the waste heat concept.

Fig. 3: Demonstration plant of a high temperature heat exchanger with ceramic heat pipes

Fig. 2: Model 1 (open) and model 2 (closed gas turbine cycle) with steam generation as gasification fluid and the boundary conditions.

[1] p. 411 ff. in: Schmalfeld, Jörg: Die Veredlung und Umwandlung von Kohle; Deutsche Wissenschaftliche Gesellschaft für Erdöl, Erdgas und Kohle e.V., Hamburg 2008. 1 XtL: includes different processes to synthesize liquid fuels out of different feed stock: GtL (Gas to Liquid), CtL (Coal to Liquid) and BtL (Biomass to Liquid) 2 The point balance for Model 2a and 2b has to have100% efficiency due to the closed gas turbine and without considering energy losses to the environment. In that case no energy is lost to the environment. So that value is calculated to check the balancing.

Fig. 1: Concept of waste heat recovery to improve the process for the material use of coal/biomass (applied for a patent).

Outlet cooling gas

Entry heating gas

Entry cooling gas

Outlet heating gas

Model 1 Model 2a Model 2b Open GT (air) Closed GT (air) Closed GT (helium) π (pressure ratio) − 6,7 4,7 2,7 PGT (net gas turbine power) MW 9,6 8,1 7,6 ηGT (gas turbine) % 20,9 17,6 16,5 Mass flow working fluid kg/s 65,3 64,2 13,8 Mass flow steam kg/s 11,9 14,0 14,2 Ratio of steam generation % 100 117,6 119,1 ηGB (point balance) % 91,1 1002 1002

Power of steam generation (net) MW 33,4 39,2 39,7 Total power MW 43,0 47,3 47,3

heat

heat

gasification gas conditioning

synthesis~300°C

indirectly heated gas

turbine (air, helium,…)

heat recovery boiler

ceramic high temperature

heat exchanger

coal / biomassgasification fluid

steam

products

water

balance border

raw gas~ 920°C

electricity

HT-HEturbine

hot raw gas920°C

preheater

cooled raw gas300°C

saturated steam246°C, 37bar

compressor

ambient air15°C, 1bar

steam generator

cooled outlet air1bar

boiling water

water

balancing border

HT-HEturbine

hot raw gas920°C

preheater

cooled raw gas300°C

saturated stem246°C, 37bar

compressor

steam generator

cooled working fluid?°C, 1bar

boiling water

water

balancing border

∆�̇�𝑟𝑎𝑤 𝑔𝑎𝑠

𝜂𝑖𝑠𝑒𝑛 = 0,8 𝜂𝑖𝑠𝑒𝑛 = 0,8

𝜂𝑖𝑠𝑒𝑛 = 0,75

𝑃𝑃𝑢𝑚𝑝

�̇�𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑚

�̇�𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟

𝑃𝐺𝑇

Δ𝜗 = 5𝐾

𝑃𝐺𝑇

∆�̇�𝑟𝑎𝑤 𝑔𝑎𝑠

𝜂𝑖𝑠𝑒𝑛 = 0,8 𝜂𝑖𝑠𝑒𝑛 = 0,8

�̇�𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑚

Δ𝜗 = 5𝐾

𝜂𝑖𝑠𝑒𝑛 = 0,75 �̇�𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟

𝑃𝑃𝑢𝑚𝑝

900°C 900°C

Model 1 Model 2